Alternate
by Unintended Muse
Summary: It's not every day you get the chance to see someone you've lost alive again. Connected to 'Pretty Boy' in keeping with their shared history before the Raza.


_Warning_ : _Spoilers abound for S02E08 where the Blink Drive drops them in an AU._

If the Blink Drive was going to work like that every time, Three was ready to vote they never use it again. After getting back home. His insides flopping around like a bunch of snakes was not worth it. And he would throw up on anyone who opposed him.

Then there was the unlisted side effect of being popped into another reality to meet his other self. That was about as much a bitch as the nausea.

"Are you going to be okay?" Two asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because you look worried and we can't afford to show them any weakness."

Three shook his head, fixing his face and making it as blank as possible. "Sorry."

She didn't look at him. "Even if there's a copy of One on that ship, it's not our One. Chances are better that Jace Corso caught up to this _Raza_ and handled Derrick Moss a while ago."

"I...know that." Three had been careful in not thinking about that, but her saying it brought it straight to the front of his mind again. He was almost desperate to see this guy even if it turned out to be that asshole. That desperation needed to be shoved down where none of them could see it. No weaknesses here.

"So don't do anything stupid. We get the Blink Drive and get back out."

They both stopped when they reached the Bridge. As expected, it was the same as their _Raza_. The people, on the other hand... Wexler and Tash stared back at them like ghosts from the past.

Three could still see Two's face as Wexler hit the button to open the airlock. He opened his mouth and then he saw the man with his back to them, leaning over a panel. Three didn't have to see his face, though.

"Hey," Wexler said, "how'd it go with Ishida?"

Three couldn't tear his eyes from the man even though he knew that no matter what the guy looked like, there was no way he could be One. So Two spoke. "We've still got business on that space station."

Wexler looked at her, bored. "Yeah, well we've got business right here, too."

"Nieman's orders." The man straightened and turned and Three felt sick. "We need to clear up some kind of misunderstanding in a mining colony."

It was Jace Corso. He'd caught up to them and this Derrick Moss was just as dead as theirs. It was the opening shot for the sudden war between the shock of seeing that face alive again and the need to shoot him in the head because Two took that away from him.

"What kind of a misunderstanding?" Three asked.

Wexler got up. "The usual. You coming?"

Two and Three shared a look before she followed Wexler out. It had been obvious he hadn't been talking to Three. Which left him on this ship with these people. He glanced at Corso again and got the hell out of that room. It was only a matter of minutes – maybe _seconds_ – before he did something that might get him killed. If that happened, he would definitely be taking that son of a bitch with him.

Three spent a few minutes walking around the familiar ship. Nothing else to do until Two got back other than staying out of trouble. Now if trouble _wanted_ to find him...

"Boone." The voice made his skin go cold. Three shut his eyes and hoped without much feeling that he would just leave. "Marcus?"

Three turned to see Corso standing at the end of the hall. He jerked his head toward the room right next to him before going in. Three took a deep breath and tried to figure out if he could quietly kill him and have no one notice. Or maybe they'd throw him a parade because the asshole would be dead. Nah, probably better if he played nice now.

Corso was standing just inside the room when he got there. "You need something?"

Almost before he got the words out, Corso hauled him into the room. He slammed Three into the wall hard, pinning him there with his body so he could close the door. Then all he could taste was the other man.

The most horrible part was that he didn't just look like One, he _felt_ like him. It threw him off, knowing up top that there was no way in hell this was One while his body showed virtually no hesitation in slipping into familiar patterns. Three found it in him to force Corso back so he could look him in the eye. He searched them, trying to find some kind of answer.

Corso snorted – something he wouldn't have expected after their first meeting with the criminal – and smacked the side of his face hard enough to rock Three's head to the side. While Three leaned stunned against the wall, Corso dropped his hand to forcefully pull Three's belt open. "Come on, I've got to be back on the Bridge before Lin and Wexler head back. So," Corso jerked Three off the wall just with his hold on his open pants, "you've got twenty minutes or less, Boone."

Corso swung him around to push him onto the bed. Boone grunted when his back hit the mattress. "Twenty minutes is kinda tight, isn't it?"

Corso climbed on top of him, grinding his ass down on Three. "...feel like I could come in five. And I know you can _come_ in under the mark."

Three's moan turned into a chuckle. "As amazing as that sounds, Corso, I – "

The fist to the face took him by surprise. Three actually felt his bottom lip split open. "You know better than to call me that when we're alone."

Three felt like he'd been punched again, this time in the gut. It wasn't a question, now. "Derrick."

"Don't you fucking forget it, Boone." There was the slightest look on his face that was not Corso as he leaned down to lick the stinging split in Three's lip. The next kiss was much more gentle and Three easily fell into it.

It was the closest this guy had felt to being the real One. Three wanted to believe it so much that he could almost allow himself to imagine it was him. He couldn't get it out of his head, though. This was Derrick acting like Corso, not One. And when Derrick ran his teeth over the cut in his lip, making it sting, he was done.

Three shoved him back. "Stop."

"What's wrong with you? I mean, I'm still ready from this morning if you're actually worried about time."

Three swallowed, letting that sink in. He could see everything that would come next if he agreed to this. With the limited time, they would probably just strip off Derrick's pants. Derrick would pull out his cock and then he would just be inside. Maybe a couple quick fingers, first, though. Just because he'd always loved the look on One's face when he had just his fingers inside him.

Three dragged himself out of the fantasy to Derrick sucking hard on the side of his neck. He forced him back and off of him. "I'm just...tired or something. I can't."

"Oh God, you're not getting sick?" Derrick cupped his cheek for about a half a second and pulled his hand back like he hadn't wanted Three to see it.

"I dunno."

"If this is Portia talking, I'll space her the second she's back on the _Raza_."

"It's not her. I just don't feel good. Maybe I picked up something on that dead station."

Derrick nodded and the Corso sneer was back. It was strange watching his face change like he'd pulled a mask over it.. "Fine. If we're not doing this, I'm going back to the Bridge. Take a nap. I'll call you when they're back."

Derrick was almost off the bed when he stopped, looking over his shoulder at Three. "What did Ryo want?"

Three shrugged. "Hell if I know. He wanted to talk to Portia. He doesn't really like me that much."

"Mmm, that's putting a nice spin on it. He hates you. Always has. Hey, remember when we first got on the ship and you walked in the training room being your usual self and he threw that knife and almost took your head off?"

That was news to him, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah...but come on, how can anyone hate me?"

Derrick leaned over him to press their lips together. "The real question is how can anyone love you?"

"You got an answer for that one?"

Derrick smiled, shoving him flat on the bed. He was almost out the door when he stopped. "And don't you dare drool on my pillow."

Alone in the room, Three let himself fall back. Honestly, after being thrown into another reality and meeting the alternate versions of the crew along with finding out this universe's Derrick Moss was alive and well, Three could use a nap. It wasn't like he had anything better to do until Two got back and they could get home.

Three turned his head into Derrick's pillow, taking a deep breath. Despite the obvious differences in them, the smell was somehow the same. Back on their _Raza_ , he'd gone so far as to replace his pillows with One's.

But seeing – touching – the other Derrick was almost too much. Three's throat went tight. He wasn't going to cry. Not on their _Raza_ and not on this one. Find something else.

Three took another deep breath of the pillow while sliding one hand down his body. It didn't surprise him that he was still hard even though Derrick left. This was the closest he'd been to another person since the news hit and apparently his body wasn't willing to let that go. Not without some sort of payout.

He only let go of Derrick's pillow to shove his pants enough to get his cock out. This wasn't right. He shouldn't be doing this. Not here, anyway, and not right now. He was in an alternate reality, surrounded by enemies, and stuck waiting on Two to come back from the planet. Not the best time to lie around playing with himself.

Then again, it was hardly ever a good time on the _Raza_ for them to fuck and they'd done plenty of that, too.

Three wrapped his hand around himself and squeezed, taking another deep breath of Derrick's pillow. His scent was just different enough that Three could almost pretend it was someone else completely. Which it kinda was. He thought about how Derrick had shoved him into the wall. How he'd kissed him with a barely contained violence that Three knew One never had.

If he tried hard enough, it almost felt like he wasn't jerking off to a ghost.

Three bit down on his bottom lip. It wasn't like they'd made a promise to always be together. Settle down somewhere and start a farm. The way their lives had gone since waking up in those damn pods one of them was going to die at some point. He wasn't going to be all noble – really not in him – and say that it should have been him instead of One. They were all fair targets, to be honest. When all's said and done, they would all be dead by one thing or another.

Three slid his hand up to the tip, working around his head and then bringing precum down to slick his cock. When One had his hands on him, he'd do this little twisting movement, so he did that, too. He though about how good it had felt when he'd finally been able to touch One like this. The way One attacked him, so desperate to feel Three's body against his.

Of course One had been completely naked when he finally did it. He'd been driving himself crazy with the fragmented memories he'd gotten back and just couldn't take it anymore. How fast One had come when Three stroked him.

Three's hand was flying over his cock.

Behind his eyes, he could still see the blissed-out look on One's face. Could hear his voice saying, "You'll get to come, too. Filling me up. Deep, deep inside."

"Fuck!" Three turned his face into Derrick's pillow to muffle the sound of his voice s he came.

It didn't really feel as good as it should have. Instead, he just felt sick after. And he didn't like feeling sick.

He looked down at the cum that landed on his shirt, dripping over his hand. He thought about what Derrick said about drooling on his pillow and smiled, grabbing it. Three used the pillow to clean himself up before putting it back where it was, dirty side up. Coming hadn't made him feel any better, but knowing Derrick would put his head here later, finding this and fighting Boone over it, actually did.

Then it hit him. Taking Derrick up on his offer would be the perfect way to prove to himself how little his thing with One had meant. He wasn't carrying a torch for the guy...just annoyed with the fact that he hadn't gotten laid since he died. Yeah, that was all that was wrong with him. So what if they guy looked just like One? It was a smooth transition to life after.

Three left Derricks' room with one mission in mind. Granted, he didn't know much about Boone, but he was very comfortable betting that he was the kind of person who regularly got laid on the Bridge and no one would blink too hard at it. Even if they did, he and Two would be going back to their own reality soon, anyway.

"Hello."

Three turned to face the Android. He'd actually forgotten that there would be a copy of her on this _Raza_ , too. "Uh...oh, hey."

"As this ship's service Android, it's my duty to inform the crew of any impending danger."

"Yeah..." Because spending time on the _Raza_ – any _Raza_ – without a crisis would be just too damn strange.

"In this case, it's the nuclear missile we just launched that's headed toward the planet's surface where the _Marauder_ is presently located."

"What? Can you override its Nav systems?" That had to be a mistake.

"Unfortunately, I can't."

Oh, man. It was beyond good that he already knew the ship as well as he did because his brain shut off. Three was cycling somewhere between furious and panicked. Part of him hoped there had been some kind of malfunction and Derrick hadn't meant to blow up a shit-ton of people. And that Two could've gotten off the planet in time.

But when he made it to the Bridge to find him leaning close to a monitor, Three knew.

"Boom...Goodnight, Portia."

"You shifty son of a bitch."

Derrick looked up at him, his Corso-face firmly in place. "You say that like it's a bad thing. I did it."

"Yeah, the Android told me. You launched that nuke while she's still down there."

Derrick rolled his eyes and stood. "That little snitch. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"A surprise? You killed T-" he switched at the last second, "Portia for a surprise?!"

"Why are you so shocked? I know you wanted us to do it together, but I had the shot and I took out Wexler, too. We're free of _both_ of them, Boone."

Three shook his head. "Why the hell would you think I'd want that?! I mean, Wexler, yeah, but she was one of us!"

Derrick pulled a knife from behind his back. "I knew you weren't Boone. Who are you? Wait, it doesn't matter."

Derrick lunged and Three fought back. This, at least, was familiar. Or would have been if this guy's fighting was even remotely like One's. Three let his instincts take over with the knowledge that A) this wasn't One, B) he probably just killed Two, and C) that he really didn't give a shit how bad he hurt this guy.

Derrick got an arm around Three's neck. "Where is he? You didn't kill him. I would know."

Three broke the hold, shoving him back to turn and face him. He couldn't keep the shock out of his voice. "You love him."

"I will find wherever you put him and get him back." Derrick lunged with the knife straight at Three's neck. He barely dodged it, getting a hand on the back of Derrick's head. It hurt to crack his head against the panels, but he didn't stop until Derrick sagged unconscious.

Three's head reeled with the realization that this Derrick had loved Boone.

"That's not very nice." Tash said behind him.

Three threw his arms out. "Oh, come on! I just knocked _him_ out!"

#

Derrick was the last one. All the others had been put in the Mess. He had woken up just after Three finished tying his arms behind his back. Three jumped back as he began to thrash around. It was wild and uncontrolled like watching an animal in a trap. After about 90 seconds, he quieted, lying still on his side.

Three stepped around him. "You feel better after that?""

Derrick glared up at him. Barely controlled rage filled his eyes. But he didn't say anything.

"That's okay. You can just nod. I was right, wasn't I? You love him."

Glare.

"So when did this change from you paying off your astronomical debt?"

The glare actually softened. Three nodded. "Yeah, I know all about how Boone saved your life when she tried to have you killed. He picked out the face you're wearing. Which, by the way, you act a _lot_ more like Jace Corso than my Derrick Moss ever did. You've met the douchebag, haven't you?"

"He tried to kill me. We handled it. When you say _your_ Derrick Moss..."

Three took a deep breath. "Something went wrong with out Blink Drive. We are from an..." he really hated saying this, "alternate reality. We just wanna go home."

"Back to your reality and your...me?" Derrick worked on sitting up and failed until Three helped him.

"Yeah...half of that, anyway."

"I'm dead, aren't I? The other me...Corso got him, didn't he?"

Three nodded. "Two...Portia...killed Corso for it."

"Wow...you guys are all pretty close, huh?"

He shrugged. "They say we're a family."

"My...our Boone?"

"Alive and looking just like me. You'll get him back."

There was a little smile on Derrick's face. "Two Marcus Boone's...you think you guys can stick around here a little longer?"

Three actually laughed. "Not even a little bit tempting. The other me seemed a little more asshole-y."

Derrick shrugged. "Yeah, he usually is. For what it's worth, I'm sorry your me is dead. Are we different the way you and Boone are different?"

Three stared at him. "You look just like him, but you sound harder...more tough."

"Thanks." He hauled Derrick up. Before he shoved him into the Mess with the others, Derrick pushed back to stop him. He turned his head to catch Three's lips. "Wait...if you want, I could..."

Three shook his head. "Like I said, you look like him, but you're not him."

Derrick let him push him into the Mess, Corso-face on.

#

Back on their _Raza_ , the Mikkei ships dealt with, they blinked back home.

"I'm detecting something. A small vessel appears to have detached itself from the outer hull." The Android said.

"Give us a visual." Two said.

"It's the _Marauder_." Six said.

Three stepped up next to Two. "That's not our _Marauder_."

"Android, prepare to intercept."

The ship began to glow and then it was just sucked away. "I'm sorry, Two. It appears this _Marauder_ was FTL capable."

"Who the hell did we bring back with us?"

"Call me if they come back." Three started leaving the Bridge.

"Three..." Two swiveled the chair to look at him.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm fine. I just don't want to be anywhere right now."

Three sat on the side of his bed. He pulled Moss into his lap. The 'L' word wasn't something he'd ever thought about putting on what he and One had. But knowing that there was at least one other set of them that had that made him feel a little better and more than a little lost.

People die. What else can you do except go on?

 _A/n: Really wasn't expecting on doing anything else with 'Pretty Boy,' but apparently my muse didn't get the memo. There's at least one more coming down the pipe that I think is going to be pretty awesome. I hope._


End file.
